U.S. President Donald Trump pitched his 50% tariffs against Brazil as a way to support former President Jair Bolsonaro, but three people close to the right-wing ex-president said they were stunned by the move and fear it may do more harm than good.

Jair Bolsonaro had been president of Brazil for only six months when, in 2019, his son Eduardo Bolsonaro began angling for the post of ambassador to the U.S. Just 35 years old at the time, the younger Bolsonaro was a member of Congress,